Announcing the Finalists for CMG's Action Grant @ CIFF
Conservation Media Group (CMG) & the Camden International Film Festival (CIFF) are excited to announce a talented set of 8 finalists in our CMG Action Grant Pitch. CMG will be awarding at least one $5,000–$10,000 grant during CIFF for a project that uses video to create measurable action. Finalists are awarded a full-access pass to the festival in Camden, Maine & attend a one-on-one pitch session with CMG commissioners on Friday, September 18th. The winner of at least one CMG Action Grant will be announced at the CIFF Awards Gala on Sunday, September 20, 2015.
Proposed projects were required to include a theme that relates to creating change in ocean health or sustainable energy and a video concept under 5 minutes with a clearly defined target audience and specific call to action. Pitched projects also include a strategic plan for measuring impact in a meaningful way. The pitch was open to filmmakers, organizations and individuals with any level of experience and any project location.
The Finalists for the CMG Action Grant at CIFF 2015 are:
• SUNCATCHER, proposal by Shalini Kantayya, 7th Empire Media The SUNCATCHER campaign builds on the feature length film, Catching the Sun, to engage and empower local communities across the country with the tools to access and advocate for solar energy on a local level.
• Water Warriors, proposal by Michael Premo, Storyline Media Water Warriors is a photo-based multimedia exhibit and short documentary film about an indigenous community in Canada protecting their land against natural gas fracking. The project’s aim is to support the growing movement for a just transition to an equitable, low-carbon economy and to increase public engagement with the push for sustainable energy alternatives.
• Post-Conflict Energy Access, proposal by Nigel A. Carr, Qorax Energy This project uses participatory filmmaking to document the impact of solar energy adoption in the lives of three families from Somaliland, one of the world's most energy-insecure environments. The film celebrates distributed energy generation as a foundational component of a broader movement toward economic democracy in the Global South, and explores the role of media in community self-advocacy.
• Pick It Up!, proposal by Razan Ghalayini
Watch the hysterical Jo Firestone join volunteers around the world as they pick up all kinds of crazy garbage at their local beaches! This video will encourage people to join Ocean Conservancy International's Coastal Cleanup initiative while promoting ocean conservancy through humor.
• A Tale of Plastic, proposal by Tierney Thys & Noe Sardet, Parafilms This project mobilizes, energizes and activates community action surrounding plastic ocean pollution and working towards reducing our plastic footprint. An accompanying TEDed lesson will also allow the filmmakers to track the educational impact of the film as it is used in schools by teachers around the world.
• Mapping Global Ocean Noise Pollution, proposal by Rob Nelson, Untamed Science This project utilizes a citizen science effort to map the world’s man-made ocean noise pollution, which threatens marine life worldwide. The film will engage ocean athletes, adventurers, and boaters to join the effort.
• PEZadilla, proposal by Monica Naranjo Gonzalez & LUMA This short film aims to rekindle an ongoing dialogue between fishers and institutions to find mechanisms of successful voluntary compliance in the Responsible Fishing Area in Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica, which is an essential nursery ground for a threatened species of hammerhead shark.
• Grow Seaweed-Free, proposal by David Owen Brown, Amphibious Films & Robin Hadlock Seeley, Shoals Marine Laboratory (Cornell University/University of New Hampshire) This campaign will educate and inform gardeners to choose mulches and fertilizers that do not contain rockweed (a type of seaweed that is coastal habitat), so that they can garden more sustainably and contribute to coastal habitat conservation in Maine.
Conservation Media Group distributes a limited number of Action Grants each year to catalyze the production & distribution of a short video or series of short videos with a clear and significant call to action. Find out more information about CMG Action Grants HERE.
Congratulations to the finalists! We can’t wait to meet you at the festival.
Conservation Media Group (CMG) & the Camden International Film Festival (CIFF) are excited to announce a talented set of 8 finalists in our CMG Action Grant Pitch. CMG will be awarding at least one $5,000–$10,000 grant during CIFF for a project that uses video to create measurable action. Finalists are awarded a full-access pass to the festival in Camden, Maine & attend a one-on-one pitch session with CMG commissioners on Friday, September 18th. The winner of at least one CMG Action Grant will be announced at the CIFF Awards Gala on Sunday, September 20, 2015.
Proposed projects were required to include a theme that relates to creating change in ocean health or sustainable energy and a video concept under 5 minutes with a clearly defined target audience and specific call to action. Pitched projects also include a strategic plan for measuring impact in a meaningful way. The pitch was open to filmmakers, organizations and individuals with any level of experience and any project location.
The Finalists for the CMG Action Grant at CIFF 2015 are:
• SUNCATCHER, proposal by Shalini Kantayya, 7th Empire Media
The SUNCATCHER campaign builds on the feature length film, Catching the Sun, to engage and empower local communities across the country with the tools to access and advocate for solar energy on a local level.
• Water Warriors, proposal by Michael Premo, Storyline Media
Water Warriors is a photo-based multimedia exhibit and short documentary film about an indigenous community in Canada protecting their land against natural gas fracking. The project’s aim is to support the growing movement for a just transition to an equitable, low-carbon economy and to increase public engagement with the push for sustainable energy alternatives.
• Post-Conflict Energy Access, proposal by Nigel A. Carr, Qorax Energy
This project uses participatory filmmaking to document the impact of solar energy adoption in the lives of three families from Somaliland, one of the world's most energy-insecure environments. The film celebrates distributed energy generation as a foundational component of a broader movement toward economic democracy in the Global South, and explores the role of media in community self-advocacy.
• Pick It Up!, proposal by Razan Ghalayini
Watch the hysterical Jo Firestone join volunteers around the world as they pick up all kinds of crazy garbage at their local beaches! This video will encourage people to join Ocean Conservancy International's Coastal Cleanup initiative while promoting ocean conservancy through humor.
• A Tale of Plastic, proposal by Tierney Thys & Noe Sardet, Parafilms
This project mobilizes, energizes and activates community action surrounding plastic ocean pollution and working towards reducing our plastic footprint. An accompanying TEDed lesson will also allow the filmmakers to track the educational impact of the film as it is used in schools by teachers around the world.
• Mapping Global Ocean Noise Pollution, proposal by Rob Nelson, Untamed Science
This project utilizes a citizen science effort to map the world’s man-made ocean noise pollution, which threatens marine life worldwide. The film will engage ocean athletes, adventurers, and boaters to join the effort.
• PEZadilla, proposal by Monica Naranjo Gonzalez & LUMA
This short film aims to rekindle an ongoing dialogue between fishers and institutions to find mechanisms of successful voluntary compliance in the Responsible Fishing Area in Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica, which is an essential nursery ground for a threatened species of hammerhead shark.
• Grow Seaweed-Free, proposal by David Owen Brown, Amphibious Films & Robin Hadlock Seeley, Shoals Marine Laboratory (Cornell University/University of New Hampshire)
This campaign will educate and inform gardeners to choose mulches and fertilizers that do not contain rockweed (a type of seaweed that is coastal habitat), so that they can garden more sustainably and contribute to coastal habitat conservation in Maine.
Conservation Media Group distributes a limited number of Action Grants each year to catalyze the production & distribution of a short video or series of short videos with a clear and significant call to action. Find out more information about CMG Action Grants HERE.
Congratulations to the finalists! We can’t wait to meet you at the festival.